Through the Lens of History. Mini Exhibits from the Yad Vashem Collections

The Anguish of Liberation and the Return to Life

Return to Life

Yad Vashem Photo Archives, 1486/605

Babies brought to a Zionist demonstration in the DP camp – Landsberg, Germany, May 1948

As part of their struggle to “return to life” the survivors felt an increasing need to break the cycle of loneliness, to meet partners and build new families. The birth rate in the DP camps in the years 1946-48 was the highest in the world, reaching approximately 700 children per month at its peak. It was these figures that swayed public opinion in favor of finding a viable solution to the displaced persons problem.